Persona 4: Reflections
by Confluxfighter
Summary: The heroes have arrived to defeat Izanami but were separated. The persona users must once again face their shadows, but this time they are alone, while the shadows have been empowered by Izanami. Can the ones who seek the truth defeat themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Souji Seta glared into the fog surrounding his crystalline prison. As soon as his friends and he had arrived to finish their job, fog had engulfed them and they had been separated. Souji had found himself trapped in a prison. He didn't know how long he had been in there when a voice came out of the fog, apparently from several directions at once. It was distinctly female but so monstrous that it made Souji shiver. "Souji Seta." It sighed, as if disappointed "You are your friends have caused a great deal of trouble. I've been working on this so long, so very long. Before your home was even a hamlet, before the first man had set foot on this earth, I had been working. And now I was almost undone. Almost… however, do you know why your friends have gotten so strong?"

Souji paused before answering "They found the strength to face who they really were. They moved on with their lives after accepting the part of them that huddles in the darkness." The voice chuckled softly "Yes, I suppose. But the main reason that they continued was your presence. If you had not appeared, if you had not been there to guide them, what do you think would have happened?" Souji sliced the prison with his sword. It was futile, the prison was much too strong, but it was to make a point. "There's nothing you can do to hurt them like you did!" The voice seemed amused "Do you really think so? Let's find out." Before him, a patch of fog became transparent. After a moment, Souji realized it was acting like a TV, letting him see what was happening to the others. His eyes widened in horror. All of them had been badly injured and their shadows, which had been vanquished, stood above them, victorious. The voice spoke again "While you may have banished most of the shadow in each of them, it only took a miniscule amount of power to make them grow again." The scene focused on Yosuke Hanamura.

Yosuke struggled to his feet "I told you, you bastard, I have a different reason to keep going now!" The leering frog-face mocked him "Do you really think so? Then why am I here? Why did your mind refuse to make me disperse?" The humanoid top formed a ball of wind. In response, Yosuke yelled "Jiraya!" His persona leaped to his defense but when the ball of wind was unleashed, it blasted both of them into a wall. "You never learned anything, Yosuke. And now it's my turn…"


	2. Chapter 2

The "TVs" flickered to several different images, each portraying about the same situation. Each of Souji's friends had been separated and was being forced to face their shadows. However, each shadow seemed much more powerful than before. _Or maybe they just find the weakness in their owner's… _Teddie and Rise had been grouped together, with Rise and her shadow in support. Souji sat on the floor, cross-legged. The voice called out "What happened to your spirit? Have you given up?" The voice actually sounded puzzled. Souji shook his head "No, I'm just preparing." He pulled out his bag and began to draw what seemed like junk from it.

Meanwhile… Yosuke dodged another blast of wind. "Just give up. You can't do anything on your own." Yosuke grinned through the pain. "Wanna bet?" As if on cue, all of the persona users disappeared. They entered their personas, allowing them greater control. Kanji smirked "This will put us on more even footing!" He grabbed the fist of one of the shadows that was assisting his own. "Let's do this, Take-Mikazuchi!" His other hand grabbed the shadow's head and drove it into the ground, cracking the wood on which they stood. His shadow leered "Mmmm… yeah Kanji, that's what it means to be a man. Violence embodies it, doesn't it?" He charged Kanji who brought up his lightning bolt to block, only to have it shatter before his eyes.

The voice came again "Do you see, Souji Seta? Even using their full power, nothing can save them." Souji didn't pause in his task but he smiled a bit. "Full power? I guess you misunderstand. You see, a persona evolves with the owner. They have grown and you believe the persona would not have changed?"

Yukiko, as Konohana Sakuya, staggered forward. While she had been dealing with her shadow, the prince she had once sought had managed to surprise her and stab her in the side. She healed herself while backing up and smiled softly. "I'm sorry that you still exist. I thought I had healed you… but I'm not going to let you stop me! Amaretsu!" Teddie's persona changed in mid-flight. He had launched the missile as the enemy. As it neared, he disappeared and he became the projectile. He began spinning, his claws forming a drill.

The voice studied the fights calmly as Seta continued in his strange task. "I suppose they have grown. However, for every step forward, there are people who are cast aside, people who would gladly ruin others. The spite and hatred these people build up within them is the perfect fuel for shadows." Several shadows came forward. They somehow melded with the shadows the persona users were fighting. Naoto was about to deal the finishing blow when one of his shadow's eyes opened and Yamamoto Takeru was pierced by several lasers that were fired in the blink of an eye. The shadow performed a self-repair and flew above Naoto, now forced to fall onto his knees.


	3. Chapter 3

Souji stared at his friends for a moment, his hands curling into fists. "We haven't lost!" He glared at the mist surrounding him. "You may not know it but there are others!" The mist swirled uncertainly. "What do you mean? You cannot fool me, only you seven, and that animal, have entered this world." Souji smiles "You are right. However, we are not the only ones to have faced ourselves." He finished laying out the items. They really were just junk. A coffee mug, a receipt, a girl's compact. Souji's enemy could see no link between them. Souji closed his eyes. "Please help us. We need your strength so please help me and my friends! Please!" A pulse emanated from the items and the mists were pushed back. "What!" The voice from the mists could feel something approaching them. Shadows, but not normal ones. Something was different. Glowing cards appeared above the items. "HELP THEM!" The cards shot out and flew to his friends through the TV screens.

Kanji was on his knees, all of his strength gone. He felt someone approach him and opened his eyes, expecting to see his shadow. Then his eyes flew open. Instead of his shadow, it was someone else's. Kanji and his shadow asked the same question at the same time, he curious, his shadow hostile. "Who're you!" The shadow was an imitation of a sexy nurse. She had a devil's tail that thrashed angrily as she glared down at Kanji. "You! Aren't you supposed to be a man? Stand on your feet!" When Kanji was about to protest, she slapped him, hard. "I said get up and fight!"

Teddie's shadow swung a claw at Teddie "New friends cannot help you. They will fall to oblivion as well." Nanako's voice yelled "Teddy! You can do it!" Teddie glared at his shadow as his claws glowed bright blue. "You're right! Teddie to the rescue! Justice drill!" He spun in the air, his claws forming a drill. He clashed with his shadow and clawed a clean hole through his enemy's hand.

Yosuke countered his shadow's blast of wind with his own. A young man made of rope looked at him. "This world killed her! It took her from both of us! I can't fight them but you can! Help me get back at these bastards!" He unraveled and wrapped around the legs of the shadow, tying it down and slowing it just long enough for Yosuke to land a powerful blow on the upper half.

Souji smiled at the mist. "No matter how much you try, you will never beat us. We know that we cannot fight you on our own." The TV screens began to glow and beams of light shot towards Souji. "We fight together. Izanagi no Okami." His first persona appeared, more powerful than ever. He swung his sword and easily cut the prison in half. "And now, we will come for you and end this forever."

((Both criticisms and advice are very welcome either by PM or review.))


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